Page 46 of Deck the Skulls
“Is your place warded?” Anatoly asked. “Does it have another vampire in residence that will sense when one of his kind is close and be able to warn everyone?”
When Mason didn’t answer, Anatoly continued. “The second floor is a fully furnished studio that both of you are welcome to occupy for as long as necessary.”
Zan sucked in a breath. “That’s a surprise.”
“What is?” Rissa asked. She’d moved a little and was standing next to him instead of in front of him. Lifting his right arm, he draped it over her shoulders, relieved when she snuggled into his embrace.
“Only my parents have ever stayed there,” he explained. “Anatoly doesn’t set down very many hard limits, but renting out the second floor was one of them. I wasn’t allowed to bring anyone there long term, only a night or two. Or a week if it was close family. Now he’s offering the place up to a gargoyle and a nymph.”
Rissa made a humming sound. “Why? What’s changed?”
A wave of sympathy hit him. It was coming from Anatoly as he assured the scared nymph that she’d be safe. Now he understood why Anatoly was doing this.
“You changed him,” Zan said. “He wants you to be happy, and he knows you’d want him to make sure Skyler is safe.”
“He’s doing this for me?” she asked, eyes going wide. For the first time, she looked a little unsure. “He’s changing a hard limit to make me happy?”
Zan tightened his arm around her for a moment as he placed a kiss on her forehead. “Honey, we’d both do just about anything to make you happy.”
She blinked rapidly, as if trying not to cry. “That’s, um… thanks.”
“That’s what we’ll do then,” Mason said, drawing their attention back to the conversation between the nymph, gargoyle, and vampire. “We’ll stay here tonight and decide what to do next tomorrow.”
Although she was tall, she still had to look up to meet Mason’s gaze. “You don’t have to stay here.”
“Try and stop me,” Mason grumbled. He pulled a phone out from his back pocket. “I’m going to call a friend to bring some of my stuff. She can stop by a store for things for you. What do you need?”
Skyler shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Mason didn’t move. “What do you need?”
She ducked her head shyly. “Candy bars please. Lots of candy of any kind really.”
“Right, nymphie food,” Mason said with a nod. Then he pointed at her feet. “You stay right here. I’ll be back and then we’ll go upstairs.”
She blinked, as if surprised by his orders. “You don’t need to—”
“Right here,” he repeated, cutting her off. “Now say, ‘yes, Mason.’”
A real smile formed on her lips. “Yes, Mason.”
He made a satisfied grunt, then turned and walked out of the bar to stand on the sidewalk and call his friend. Zan was full of envy.
“I need to get my clothes magicked,” he muttered. “His phone even shifted with him!”
“Perhaps for Christmas,” Anatoly said. “But you have so many clothes, it would put me in the poorhouse to have them all done so you’ll have to slim down the choices.”
Zan snorted. “Whatever. I bet if we count, you’ve got more clothes than me.”
“This conversation is way too normal to be happening while there are so many naked people standing around. And you’re still bleeding,” Rissa said with a shake of her head.
“Sorry,” Zan said, trying to hold back his laugh.
Anatoly frowned. “She’s right, we should be seeing to your injuries. I don’t like the look of several of those wounds.”
Zan eyed him warily. “Don’t call the knitter! I’ll heal fine without her.”
“Knitter?” Rissa asked, ducking out from under his arm. He was about to protest, but she grabbed his hand to lead him to the bar where the first aid kit was sitting open. The wolf shifters had already treated their wounds and were busy talking to each other or texting on their phones that they’d fished out of the remnants of their clothes. He’d need to get them all a change of clothes from upstairs so they could go home without attracting unwanted attention.